OWNED

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 1

Arianna wept into Dennis' arms. He held her tight. "Please don't let him in... I can't see him... Or her. Please." Dennis lay on the hospital bed beside her, kissing her forehead.

"No... No chance. It's okay. You're okay. Don't worry about him. He'll go home and sleep it off." She hiccupped trying to stop her stupid tears. "Shhhh, you're okay." It took a while before Dennis spoke again, he let her compose herself first. "Why'd you do it Arri? Why?"

She didn't want to answer that. She slit her wrists hoping she would die so she never ever had to deal with Marc ever again. He was too much for anybody to handle. She refused to let her love for him cloud her better judgment. She needed a way out. He was killing her slowly anyway, she thought to speed up the process.

"I... What do you want me to say Dennis? It got too much for me. I thought I could handle him... I thought wrong."

"Nothing is worth ending your life for? Nothing! You think I didn't have every reason under the sun to end my life? Ha? Come on Arri, you saw what my father did to me, what he allowed his men to do to me, what Marc did to me... Hell what you did to me... I never gave up... Now I have a son who I love more than anything. You don't end your life because you are in a rut."

"He won't let me be... Dennis... He is suffocating me." And the water works started up again.

He sat with her for over an hour before he was informed he needed to leave. The nurse said he needed to leave so she could rest up.

Cole walked into the room moments after Dennis left. He stood at the door and looked at her. Arianna was still sitting up. She gave him a frown, she was so embarrassed for him to see how weak she was.

"You okay?" Oh... Oh, she wanted to cry again... Only Dennis was allowed to see her tears. She swallowed hard and nodded. "What gives Arianna?"

"Don't know." She mumbled. She felt like a child who was in trouble.

"You would end your life for him? For her?"

"I know... I know Cole... I know. But... It's getting too much. I... I'm just not that strong. I'm not resilient like that."

"Okay, well... He's gone home. He needs to sober up... Fucking drug head." He mumbled that last bit to himself. "I've come to get you out of here." What? Arianna looked at Cole not really knowing what he was saying, not understanding it at all.

"Where?"

"There is a hospital where Dennis lives. One of the best. It's a rehab of sorts... They need to know why you would attempt to end your life. They will not release you until you do this. It's a few months tops."

"A mental hospital?" She asked opening her eyes wide.

"Yeah... Something like that. Look, it's either you are to be in one here, or where Dennis is. However you look at it, you will be doing the time. It's just to make sure you are stable and whatnot."

"Really?"

"Really." Oh... Okay... She was not knowing how to deal with this. "Look at it this way, a few months to get your shit sorted without that dickhead. Time off... A holiday. Trust me, you'll be looked after."

"Can I still see Dennis?" Cole nodded his head.

"Yeah, you can have a number of visitors, you just need to sign off on their names."

"How much is all of this? I've saved some money..."

"It's paid for. Dealt with. We need to move tonight. I've pulled a lot of strings to get you out of here tonight." He paid for the move. Of course he did.